The Federal Government says it has fulfilled all promises it made to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to enable lecturers return to work.
The Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, stated this on Tuesday in reaction to the claim by the President of the ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, that the government had failed to deliver on offers made to the union.
Ogunyemi who blamed the Federal Government for union’s failure to call off the strike, said lecturers would not return to class until their salary arrears were paid.
However, Ngige in a statement on Tuesday said the Federal Government had delivered on its promises based on the timelines agreed and that ASUU agreed at their last meeting with the government team on November 27 to call off the strike they embarked on in March 2020 before December 9.
He said in the statement from his Ministry: “The truth of the matter is that a ‘gentleman agreement’ was reached at the last meeting in which ASUU agreed to call off the strike before December 9, 2020, and the minister, in turn, agreed that once the strike is called off, he would get a presidential waiver for ASUU to be paid the remainder of their salaries on or before December 9.”
He said it thus amount to passing on wrong information to Nigerians that the government agreed to pay all withheld salaries before lectures will resume.
He said the lecturers “were paid for February and March, after which it was extended to April, May and June, months they were on strike on compassionate ground, bringing it to five months.
"Asking the government to pay these four months before it goes back to work means ASUU is placing itself above the law of the land and no government will encourage it as it is a recipe for chaos in the labour milieu.”
On the other issues agreed on, Ngige said: “For instance, the Federal Government promised to constitute a Negotiation Committee for the 2009 Agreement and has fulfilled it with the last week’s inauguration of the committee that has Prof Muzali as chairman.
“The N40 billion Earned Academic Allowances/Earned Allowances have also been processed just like the N30 billion revitalisation Fund, bringing it to a total of N70 billion.
“Likewise, the Visitation Panels for the Universities have been approved by the President but the panel cannot perform its responsibilities until the shut universities are re-opened.
“The gazetting is also being rounded off at the Office of Attorney General of the Federation while the Ministry of Education is ready to inaugurate the various visitation panel.
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